Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has welcomed a major prisoner exchange between Russia and Western states. “I welcome today’s release of wrongfully detained Allied citizens and Russian political prisoners,” said the NATO boss in a post on social media platform X. “Close cooperation between #NATO Allies made this achievement possible. The right to peaceful opposition and freedom of the media are vital for any functioning society.” Russia, Belarus and several Western countries exchanged a total of 26 prisoners at Ankara airport in an unprecedented operation involving Turkey’s National Intellig…